I sat down on the plane yesterday, prepared to read Chicken Soup for the Volunteers Soul, and my new book on Prayer, and to maybe pull out my laptop and write a Race Blog. I had my book out when I heard a voice say “Excuse me, is this seat taken?” I looked up and saw a young man, and answered him in the negative. He sat down next to me.
He asked me if I lived in New Hampshire, or if I was visiting and I replied that I was flying home. Hoping that was it with the chatter, I buried my nose in my book and opened my Diet Coke. Again he asked a question of me, and I internally rolled my eyes and thought ‘Great. I’ve got a talker.’ Normally, I love people. But air time is ME time. I just want to get lost in whatever book I have. I don’t know anyone, my phone can’t ring, I can’t receive any e-mails, I can just be alone. A voice inside my head whispered ‘Be patient. He is just a boy.’ And I knew that. I assumed given his politeness and the maturity he displayed that he was a small 16 or 17 on his way to or from a grandparent. I soon discovered I was wrong. He pulled out a deck of cards, and as an Ice Breaker (wicked smart kid by the way) started doing magic tricks. Eventually, he asked if I would play a game with him. It was evident that he was traveling alone and wanted someone to talk to. Over Go Fish and Crazy Eights, I learned more about this young man.
I asked him if he was from New Hampshire, or just going to visit. He said he was moving there to live with his uncle. His father was in Florida, and his mother and her current husband are in Indiana. His stepfather is not a nice man, and Shawn’s mother has talked of divorcing him. Living with them is out of the question. Shawn’s father is married, and there are 4 other children living in the home in Florida.
In a very accepting, and matter of fact voice, Shawn told me that his father didn’t want him anymore, so he was going to live with his uncle. In my sheltered naiveté I can not fathom how a parent can possibly send a child away. Let alone one as polite and sweet as Shawn. My heart broke for him. He will be going to school in New Hampshire, and this will be roughly the 20th school for him. Twenty! I don’t think I have been in twenty public school buildings in my life.
As I said earlier, I first thought that he was in his mid to late teens, given how he spoke, and his general carriage. I was wrong though. Shawn is 13. He is in 8th grade, and when he said ‘I love you’ to his father and offered him a last hug, his dad just said ‘No, I’m all set’. All set?? All set?! How can you ever be all set with the love of anyone… especially your own child!
He did say that his uncle had no interest in taking a wife, or in having a girlfriend, but that he really wanted children, so Shawn was going to become an only child, and a wanted one at that. His Nana, his paternal grandmother (also mother to the uncle), picked him up at the airport and I watched her give him the hug I longed to, the desperate and lasting hug that told him he was loved, and that everything would be alright.
For those of us who are not out on the Race yet, let us not forget those children here in America who still need to be loved, and cared for. At the airport, over the shuffle and noise in the baggage claim area, I said goodbye to Shawn K., and his Nana thanked me for entertaining him on the flight. I wanted to give her my number, and tell her to call me anytime, that I would be happy to hear more stories from Shawn. But I didn’t. I didn’t know how to tell a perfect stranger that her grandson was amazing, and that I would love to help him transition back into life in New Hampshire. Please, pray for Shawn K., and his new life here.
